Wassenaar


Wassenaar is a municipality and town located in the province of South Holland, on the western coast of the Netherlands.
An affluent suburb of The Hague, Wassenaar lies north of that city on the N44/A44 highway near the North Sea coast. It is part of the Haaglanden region and the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area. The municipality covers an area of, of which is covered by water.
Wassenaar is home to some of the Netherlands' richest residential neighborhoods as well as the country's most expensive street, the Konijnenlaan.

History

By tradition, the 12th-century Romanesque church in Wassenaar is the spot where the Northumbrian missionary Willibrord landed in the Netherlands; the high dunes to the west were not formed until later.
Wassenaar long remained an unremarkable small town, known only as the home of the House of Wassenaer. It only began to gain prominence in the 19th century when Louis Bonaparte ordered the construction of the Heerweg between The Hague and Leiden, which forms the current Rijksstraatweg. In approximately 1840, Prince Frederik had the De Paauw palace built, where he lived for many years; it now serves as the city hall of Wassenaar.
In 1907 a railway was built, connecting Rotterdam, The Hague, Wassenaar and Scheveningen, the course of which now forms the Landscheidingsweg. Wassenaar became attractive as a residence for wealthy people from Rotterdam. Buildings such as the monumental Huize Ivicke were constructed.
Some remnants of the Atlantic wall are located on Wassenaar's beach, the Wassenaarseslag; nearly a thousand metres of underground walled tunnels are present, connecting five bunkers. The network now serves as a bat sanctuary and is no longer open to visits.
From September 1944 to March 1945 Wassenaar was one of the launch sites used by the German Luftwaffe for the V-2 rockets directed mainly towards London.
The American World War II and Korean War general Haywood Hansell, who helped plan the Allied bombing offensive against both Germany and Japan, lived in Wassenaar in retirement from 1957 to 1966.
In 1982 the Wassenaar Agreement between employers' organisations and trade unions in the Netherlands was signed here. This groundbreaking agreement helped in restraining wage growth in return for the adoption of policies to combat unemployment and inflation.
The Wassenaar Arrangement, a post Cold War era arms control convention, was signed here by forty member nations in May 1996.

Modern history

Since the days of Prince Frederik, Wassenaar has often served as an official residence: King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, his wife, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, and their daughters lived in the villa Eikenhorst at the estate in Wassenaar from 2003 until 2019; Princess Alexia was baptized at the Romanesque church in Wassenaar. The princesses attended the Bloemcampschool in Wassenaar, founded in 1931.
From 1970 until its relocation to Amsterdam in 2016, the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study which provides research time, space and support for foreign and Dutch scholars, was located in Wassenaar and the Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael, is situated in Huys Clingendael.
The U.S. Embassy The Hague as well as several ambassadorial residences are located here, including those of Canada, South Korea, Indonesia, and Ireland. In general, there is a large expatriate community of diplomats and business people in Wassenaar, largely due to its proximity to both the international organizations and embassies in The Hague. There are several international schools located in Wassenaar, including the American School of The Hague, and The International School Wassenaar, part of Rijnlands Lyceum Foundation.
Wassenaar has several parks and a network of bicycle paths. Trees, mainly beech, oak, and horse chestnut, are widespread, giving the town a green character. The town centre supports a number of high-end shops, delicatessens and bakeries as well as cafes, bars, and restaurants. There are Football, Field Hockey, Cricket, Rugby, and Tennis clubs. The theme park Duinrell and the race track Duindigt, the only remaining grass race track in the Netherlands, are also here. The art Museum Voorlinden was opened by King Willem-Alexander in 2016.
Despite being a relatively small town, Wassenaar is well known in the Netherlands for its conspicuous wealth. Areas of the town are amongst the most affluent in the Netherlands, and residents have a reputation for being bekakt or posh. Wassenaar is home to some of the most expensive neighbourhoods in the nation. In 2018 the Konijnen laan had an average house price of around 2.5 million Euros, making it the most expensive street in the Netherlands. The Dutch artists released a song entitled 'Wassenaar,' which poked fun at the wealth of the town.
Wassenaar has always enjoyed good relations with the neighbouring town of Voorschoten, with which it has shared a history. The House of Wassenaer, for example, historically resided in the Kasteel Duivenvoorde in Voorschoten. A merger into one municipality has been discussed.

Local government

The municipal council of Wassenaar consists of 21 seats, which are divided as follows :
  • VVD, 5 seats
  • Hart voor Wassenaar, 5 seats
  • Lokaal Wassenaar!, 3 seats
  • CDA, 2 seats
  • D66, 2 seats
  • GroenLinks, 2 seats
  • Democratische Liberalen Wassenaar, 1 seat
  • PvdA, 1 seat

    Culture

Sports

The following annual sports events take place in Wassenaar;
  • The Zwemloop Wassenaar, which in 2024 will be organized by the Tri-Team Wassenaar, for the 28th occasion.
  • The 15 van Wassenaar, which will be hosting the 10th edition in 2024.

    Notable people from Wassenaar

Academic and public service